As It Happens

Bluegrass singer Rhonda Vincent remembers her friend, Dolly Parton. And recounts the many times she got the chance to share a stage with her idol. 

As Ottawa announces a slew of retaliatory tariffs on American products, jobs minister Patty Hajdu tells us what her government can offer Canadian workers caught in the middle of an escalating trade war.

Canadians hoping to do their part are still striving to buy local, but the lawyer behind a proposed class action lawsuit says the maple leaf is sometimes slapped on products that aren't Canadian at all. 

A small business owner in Ontario who imports aluminum building products from the U.S. says he understands why everyone is upset, but he wants Canada back at the negotiating table. 

Renowned queer lawyer barbara findlay may have spelled her name in lower case, but she lived her life in all-caps — and wasn't afraid to fight for the rights of gay, lesbian and trans Canadians. 

A Wisconsin cat has a certified record-breaking 29 toes...and we'll dig into the archives to hear from a feline that said 'hold my catnip' — when it came out with four ears. 

As It Happens, the Tuesday edition, Radio that always gives you time to paws and reflect. 

An opposition critic says MPs should be back in the House of Commons to debate the threat posed by U.S. tariffs — and to get a full accounting of how a proposed trade deal collapsed. 

A Manitoba honey farmer tells us he feels like collateral damage in a "petty trade war." He says the new U.S. tariffs may spell bankruptcy for his family business, which sends almost all of its products south. 

A skin cancer survivor lobbies the U.K. government to stop taxing sunscreen, which it classifies as a cosmetic. She says the move could save lives. 

A teen from Nova Scotia reels in a behemoth weighing many times what she does. She describes the long hour she spent trying to land the fish. 

Nine sets of twins are starting school in a legendarily twin-tastic Scottish town. We'll hear from a teacher with two sets of twins in her class...and is still working out how to tell them apart.

One L.A. theme park went to great lengths to make their new Fast & Furious roller coaster whisper-quiet, which totally worked — until it opened to the enthusiastic shrieks of riders.

As It Happens, the Monday edition. Radio that guesses they couldn't see the forest for the “WEEEEEEES!” 

A California winemaker is chomping at the bit to get his bottles back on Canadian shelves, but worries that even with a tariff deal, Canadians might turn their nose up at his vino. 

Survivors of a decades-long purge of Canadian 2SLGBTQ+ public servants and military personnel finally have their own landmark in downtown Ottawa.

As Montreal mourns Oliver Jones, Diana Krall joins us to remember the late jazz great — who championed her when she got her start in Montreal clubs.

Five years ago, Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Lee Cheuk-yan spoke to As It Happens about sweeping raids carried out under the city's national security law. Now, that same law has led to his conviction. 

We hear from a researcher about some 14th century skeletal remains that look like they went through a car wreck — and may actually have been on the wrong end of a medieval catapult. 

As It Happens, the Friday edition. Radio that delivers the thrust of the argument.

Pressure to cut a trade deal with the U.S. has the Prime Minister pushing for the return of American alcohol to provincial stores. One B.C. winemaker tells us what she hopes her province will do. 

A tech expert warns that when the details of that trade deal are finally revealed, Canada should be just as concerned with 'digital sovereignty' as we are with cars, steel and booze.

The American President cuts short military exercises with South Korea. North Korea's Dear Leader responds by launching missiles. And our guest says it's just their way of negotiating a nuclear summit. 

The push to accelerate major economic projects shouldn't mean lifting protections on species at risk. So says a conservationist, who's urging the Carney government to reconsider proposed legislative changes. 

After swimming the Georgia Strait, a British Columbia woman may have broken a decades-old record. She tells us it was gruelling work, but there was no way she was going to quit.

A golf course in Alberta may have had its 'Worlds Biggest Golf Putter' title sunk by another provincial course. As we'll hear, they've both had their measuring tapes out. 

As It Happens, the Thursday edition. Radio that likes big putts, and cannot lie.

As officials hammer out a trade deal, Trump is trumpeting a revival of cross-border pipeline plans — and an Alberta energy exec who worked on the Keystone XL project says it might be just the bargaining chip Canada needs.

Ukraine's former defence minister says it's time for an election — war or no war — but an opposition MP argues a vote would be illegal and open to Russian manipulation. 

The IDF launches an investigation into the high-profile, 2024 killing of 5-year-old Hind Rajab. We hear from an emergency dispatcher who spoke to her in the moments before she died. 

A professor tells us why he's challenging the Quebec law that made swearing an oath of allegiance to the King optional for provincial lawmakers. 

The last thing a marathon runner needs is extra distance tacked onto the end of the race, but that's exactly what happened in Edmonton. We hear from a runner who says that mistake may have robbed him of his chance to qualify for the Boston Marathon. 

As It Happens, the Wednesday edition. Radio that hopes it all works out... in the long run.

A wallpaper manufacturer in British Columbia tells us if Canada and the U.S. can’t work out a trade deal before Trump’s tariff deadline, he might have to start laying off his employees. 

The ruling party in Zambia declares election victory — after a delayed vote count and election day arrests. An international election observer weighs in and shares his own concerns. 

As Newfoundland & Labrador moves forward with a new energy deal on Churchill Falls, Premier Tony Wakeham tells us it's a win not just for his province, but for the rest of the country too.

The Trump administration has paused its border barrier construction project in Big Bend National Park. A former superintendent of the park tells us he wants to see bulldozers banned permanently. 

Flag football will make its Olympic debut in 2028 and the Canadian women's team has just punched its ticket. Quarterback Sara Parker tells us what it feels like to see this long dream realized. 

A 43-year-old woman from Ontario has become the first Canadian woman to lift Scotland's iconic Dinnie Stones — a pair of boulders with a combined weight of over seven hundred pounds. 

As It Happens, the Tuesday edition, radio that thinks it’s important to know your stone strength.

As Canada-U.S. trade talks head towards a Wednesday tariff deadline, a Trudeau-era staffer speaks from experience about the challenges of doing a deal with Donald Trump. 

France is battling scorching temperatures and severe drought. We hear from a local engineer who says the water supply is drying up, and the forecast doesn’t look good.

The University of Toronto is looking to ban laptops in some classrooms this fall in favour of handwriting. A law student tells us he’d like to have a say in how he takes his own notes. 

We hear from a scientist who explains her research into how female tree frogs react when they have so many suitors they don't know which way to jump. 

Two juvenile goats in Portland, Oregon break out of their enclosure and attempt to ride a public bus — to the delight of the driver and passengers. 

As It Happens, the Monday edition, radio that appreciates them maaaaaking a breaaaaaak for it. 

As Taliban officials celebrate the anniversary of the 2021 fall of Kabul, Afghan journalist Zahra Joya tallies the grim toll being paid by the country's women and girls. 

An activist says the world needs to do more to condemn Israeli settlers who have surrounded Palestinian homes in the West Bank — trapping families with no water or electricity.

Decades after they met as teenagers and became friends, two women learn they are, in fact, biological sisters. We hear about their first encounter as girls — and more recently, as relatives. 

More than 80 years after a landmark battle in the Second World War, a tiny Pacific Island remains littered with landmines. Our guest describes the dangerous detective work needed to clear out the explosives those soldiers left behind.

As voting heats up for this year’s invertebrate of the year competition, a scientist in Slovenia makes the case for a giant bee nicknamed the flying mouse.

As It Happens, the Friday edition, radio that asks: ARE YOU READY TO BUMBLE?!

Bonnie Critchley ran as an independent against Pierre Poilievre last year. Now, the retired military veteran has joined the Progressive Tory Party of Alberta — to run against the UCP in the next provincial election. 

An overcrowded ferry capsizes in Zimbabwe, killing at least 44 people. A member of the country's parliament tells us how she's consoling family members who lost loved ones in the stormy waters. 

When the 2023 earthquakes affected millions in Turkey and Syria, Canada responded with temporary visas. With many of those permits set to expire, we reach a mother walking from Toronto to Ottawa, as she pushes for an extension to keep her family in Canada. 

At the ripe old age of eleven, Anderson Taylor of the Cambridge Natural History Museum in Illinois is officially the youngest museum curator in the world. 

You've heard of Fat Bear Week. But today an organizer tells us about Fat Marmot Week — a new pre-hibernation competition underway in Colorado. 

As It Happens, the Thursday edition, radio that appreciates a good fat-checker.

A hotel owner in Breiðavík, Iceland describes the moment the moon blotted out the sun today. She says she was awed by the sight — and by the hundreds of tourists who came to see it. 

Tens of thousands of Canadians have signed a petition urging Prime Minister Mark Carney to declare U.S. ambassador Pete Hoekstra persona non grata and officially send him packing. 

Monday’s earthquake in Colombia has left hundreds dead or injured. A resident in one of the hardest-hit cities describes the destruction — and his efforts to help rescue survivors. 

A group looking for a relaxing float downstream winds up lost in marshlands for three days. We hear from a conservation officer who helped rescue them. 

A researcher who peeked inside the dodo's dome explains why she thinks the long-extinct bird may be smarter than previously thought. 

As It Happens, the Wednesday edition. Radio that's never at a loss for birds.